Nekozawa's in Love?!
(Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club and all related characters are property of BONES and Bisco Hatori. Any original character belongs to me.)
Summary: Nekozawa has a confession to make. He's fallen in love?! After the Host Club discovers his predicament, they decide to help him get the girl, but… his crush is in love with Tamaki, and Haruhi doesn't seem to like that.
Chapter 1: Witchery
The darkest section of the Ouran Academy library shelved hundreds of thick, leather-bound books filled with Latin words and witchcraft, spells from the deepest, most wicked areas of past cultures from all over the world. Such are the books that someone with a soul as dimly lit as Nekozawa Umehito would whole-heartedly enjoy, and how fortunate he was to be blessed with so many of the books of black magic that he would never be able to read them all before graduation. It was a gothic goldmine, indeed… and yet… his eyes never met their spines, his pale fingers barely trailing across them as he absentmindedly walked to the edge of his oh-so-precious area of the library.
What was wrong with him? He couldn't help but wonder. Normally, he would be plopped down in the least lit back corner of the room, engulfed in his Latin texts, but for the past week, he had been drawn towards the middle of the room, though never actually took a step into it.
It was then he had realized something very clearly, when his eyes met with someone he had witnessed was at the scene every day he had been lost. A young girl with copper colored hair, braided down each shoulder in perfect pleats and tied off with frilly white ribbons. Her turquoise eyes trailed the words in her book, some realistic fiction story about someone overcoming all odds or something ridiculously optimistic like such. She sat, thin and dainty on the edge of her chair, and never even glanced in his direction.
His face was warm when he looked at her. It was completely obvious! Of course! Indeed!… and he needed help, but who would dare do a thing? Who would help him?… And then he remembered that he had been helped before…by…
"That's IT!" He exclaimed, slamming his fist into his palm.
-
The Host Club had finished its session, and all Fujioka Haruhi could think was, FINALLY. It wasn't that she minded it that badly, but the fact of the matter was, the constant chattering, chattering, chattering got old once in awhile, and she'd felt a bit bored and preoccupied lately. She wondered what was bugging her.
"So," Kyouya continued on with his conversation, one she hadn't really cared to listen to, since it was probably directed at Tamaki anyways, "I've confirmed that we're spending too much money by 3.15, so no more themed clubs until the number is decreased."
Tamaki didn't seem very fond of that. "AH! KYOUYA!" He cried in protest. "We bring in more customers when we do themed clubs!"
"Valid argument, but you just want to do them because you think they're fun," The twins replied flatly, shrugging their shoulders. "It'd be a lot easier if you didn't hang onto all the costumes you wore, because now our mom won't let us use them."
Tamaki whimpered like the spoiled puppy he was. Haruhi rolled her eyes.
"Well, if I can't planned themed clubs, what am I supposed to do in the meantime?"
The door changed shape as if on cue, and out came Nekozawa, eyes burning from underneath his dark wig and cloak. "SUOH!" He bellowed.
Tamaki drained of all color and froze up like ice. Haruhi entertained the thought of lightly pushing him with her finger and him falling down and breaking like a porcelain doll. Such a morbid sense of humor she had acquired!… but from the way the twins were giggling, they were obviously imagining the same thing.
Kyouya calmly stepped in front of their horrified leader, pushing his glasses up on his nose with his middle finger. "How may the Host Club be of assistance to you?" He asked.
"No one else will help me, but I must be saved!"
"Oh, no! Neko-chan is in trouble?" Honey exclaimed.
"Yes!" Nekozawa cried overdramatically, raising a finger in the air to make his point more valid. "I've been bewitched!"
"Aren't you usually the one to do the bewitching?" Hikaru asked dully.
"…No, I don't bewitch, I curse, it's DIFFERENT," Nekozawa responded matter-of-factly.
"It is not!" Kaoru exclaimed, but Nekozawa ignored him.
"Why do you believe you've been bewitched, Nekozawa-sempai?" Haruhi asked, genuinely curious. At least it wasn't the mindless prattle of teenage girls, gushing over how cute she was.
"I'll tell you why! I cannot eat! I cannot sleep! I cannot even read or practice my rituals!"
"Rituals?" Tamaki whimpered. The word sounded awfully threatening to him.
"I find myself absentminded! I cannot gather my thoughts! All I can think about is…" He trailed off, his face heating up. Everyone noticed. "…her…"
"HER?!" Everyone (sans Kyouya, of course, who didn't seem the least bit surprised) exclaimed.
"Yes, her!" Nekozawa cried, dismayed.
"Who's her?" The twins asked.
"THE WITCH!" The boy exclaimed, and then collapsed to the floor in anguish.
Everyone looked at each other.
"Could we maybe get a name?" Kyouya asked.
Nekozawa hesitated. "She is called Watanabe Yumiko," He hissed. "There's foul witchery afoot whenever I'm around her."
"Watanabe Yumiko?" Haruhi questioned. She didn't know her well, but she did know her. She was in her class. From what she could remember, the young girl was the daughter of yacht seller or something… She seemed nice enough to her. She'd always designate Tamaki as her host, come to think of it.
"Yes! A devil's child, she is!" Nekozawa cried out.
"Like Yoda, stop talking," The twins grumbled. They were starting to lose interest.
"Yumiko-hime?" Tamaki blinked. "Ah! Yumiko-chan is lovely!"
"She's evil!" Nekozawa shouted, getting up into Tamaki's face. "Why else would I be unable to get her out of my mind?!"
"Nekozawa-sempai, have you perhaps fallen in love with Yumiko-san?" Haruhi asked simply.
All eyes turned in her direction.
"In… in love?" Nekozawa stammered, face turning bright red. "Me? No… Love is for dwellers of the light!"
"Not true! Not true at all!" Tamaki sang. He'd apparently gotten his pep back. "The flower of love can bloom in both darkness and in light!"
The twins rolled their eyes.
"Suoh!" Nekozawa shouted, turning Tamaki into a whimpering pup again. "Don't think you can say such things about ME! Why would I… feel affection for someone like her? I mean…" He pressed his fingers together, face turning red. "I know that she's beautiful, and I can tell she's very smart, but…"
"ADMIT IT!" Tamaki waved his finger in Nekozawa's face. "You love her! I know it!"
Nekozawa hissed at them like a cat would for a few moments, but when he looked down at his hand, where his puppet Bereznoff stared at him, he burst into tears. "Don't look at me that way, Bereznoff!" He sobbed. "I admit it, all right? I do!"
"Splendid!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"Splendid? This is horrible!" Nekozawa shouted, grabbing his shoulders. "How on earth am I going to make it through this accursed life now? There's no way I can make her mine! We're star-crossed, ill-fated! She, who dwells in the light, and I, who stalks the darkness, could never be together!"
Haruhi couldn't help but notice how similar Tamaki and Nekozawa's vocabulary were. Nekozawa's words tended to be a bit darker, but he used them theatrically when he got overwhelmed, just like the Host Club King.
"Never fear, my dear friend of the shadows!" Tamaki told him. "I'll help you!"
And that was when it became clear to everyone in the Host Club that Tamaki had found a way to satiate his boredom.
Nekozawa seemed to soften, his eyes glistening. "You… really will help me?"
"Of course! It would be a crime against my nature to allow your sweet affections to go unnoticed! We'll all help you admit your feelings to her, and I'm sure your happy ending will be realized!"
"Figures we'd be dragged into this," Hikaru murmured to his brother who shrugged.
"Yes!" Tamaki shouted, holding up his index finger in his 'I've got a plan' pose. "We shall make Nekozawa-kun a Prince Charming so that he can win over his princess!"
Nekozawa seemed very happy with the King's proclamation, but Haruhi had to interject.
"Wait, you're going to turn Nekozawa-sempai into somebody he's not so that a girl will like him?"
"It worked with Kirimi," The twins added in.
"Yay! This is going to be fun!" Honey cheered.
"Yeah," Mori unenthusiastically tagged on the end, as usual.
"No! Wait a second-" Haruhi tried, but her comrades had gotten to riled up to listen, and Nekozawa was pretty content with the idea.
"Suoh-sama!" Nekozawa cried. "Make me like you! Show me everything you've got!"
"Guys…" Haruhi sighed, defeated. It wasn't as if she was going to be getting out of the charade anyways.
"All right then! We start tomorrow!" Tamaki declared.
"Yes, sir!" His loyal team replied.
"Jeez…" Haruhi grumbled.
-
The next day, Haruhi decided to take things into her own hands. The Host Club may have planned to change Nekozawa into something completely different, but Haruhi wasn't going to just stand idly by. She decided she would casually ask Yumiko about her feelings. Perhaps, though it was unlikely, Nekozawa had nothing to worry about to start with.
"Fujioka-kun!" She chimed when Haruhi approached. She set down her book on her desk and stood. "How may I help you this morning?"
"Ah… actually… I wanted to talk to you about someone. Maybe you know him?"
"Eh?… Well, I might… but I don't see why you would ask me."
"Err… listen… I know someone who likes you, but he's too shy to tell you…"
She gasped. "HE LIKES ME?!" Her eyes brimmed with tears, her face hot with her happiness. "Oh, I knew it! Oh, thank you, Fujioka-kun!"
Haruhi couldn't believe it. She knew all along after all! She thought with a smile. I'll have to tell Nekozawa-sempai as soon as possible.
"This is just marvelous! I never thought for a second that it was true. I thought I was just imagining things when I saw him watching me in the library! What a glorious day!"
"Eh-heh… you're welcome?"
"I'll tell him! I'll tell him my feelings this afternoon!"
"Great!" Haruhi said awkwardly. I just hope Tamaki-sempai isn't too upset that his source of entertainment has come and gone so quickly.
-
That afternoon, the Host Club had gone into session as usual, but things took a turn for the worst.
Haruhi watched as Yumiko stepped into the room, blushing and holding a red rose. Why is she here? She should be looking for Nekozawa-sempai…
Tamaki finished with his current batch of customers, and allowed his next set to approach, but Yumiko did not sit down.
"Ah, Yumiko-hime! How are you this fine afternoon?" He greeted courteously, noticing that she was still standing.
"Tamaki-sama…" She beamed. "I was waiting all day for this moment."
"Heh?" Haruhi's eyes widened, and she turned around in her chair, ignoring her customers for the time being. It seemed the rest of the members had turned to take a look as well.
"This moment?" Tamaki questioned dumbly.
"Yes… You see… you don't have to be so shy…" She took his hands and slipped the rose into his fingers. "Tamaki-sama… I love you too."
"EH?!" The whole room seemed to be in shock.
"…love…me?" Tamaki whispered, stunned.
"Of course I will!" Yumiko exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. She'd apparently misunderstood what he'd said. "With all of my heart, Tamaki-sama!"
"Oh, boy…" Haruhi winced, slipping down in her chair. WHAT HAVE I DONE?!